Development of Selective Inhibitors for Human Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 3A1 (ALDH3A1) for the Enhancement of Cyclophosphamide Cytotoxicity

Chemico-Biological Interactions

Hurley

2015

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The human aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily consists of at least 19 enzymes that metabolize endogenous and exogenous aldehydes. Currently, there are no commercially available inhibitors that target ALDH1A1 but have little to no effect on the structurally and functionally similar ALDH2. Here we present the first human ALDH1A1 structure, as the apoenzyme and in complex with its cofactor NADH to a resolution of 1.75 Å and 2.1 Å, respectfully. Structural comparisons of the cofactor binding sites in ALDH1A1 with other closely related ALDH enzymes illustrate a high degree of similarity. In order to minimize discovery of compounds that inhibit both isoenzymes by interfering with their conserved cofactor binding sites, this study reports the use of an in vitro, NAD+-independent, esterase-based high-throughput screen (HTS) of 64,000 compounds to discover novel, selective inhibitors of ALDH1A1. We describe 256 hits that alter the esterase activity of ALDH1A1. The effects on aldehyde oxidation of 67 compounds were further analyzed, with 30 selectively inhibiting ALDH1A1 compared to ALDH2 and ALDH3A1. One compound inhibited ALDH1A1 and ALDH2, while another inhibited ALDH1A1, ALDH2, and the more distantly related ALDH3A1. The results presented here indicate that this in vitro enzyme activity screening protocol successfully identified ALDH1A1 inhibitors with a high degree of isoenzyme selectivity. The compounds identified via this screen plus the screening methodology itself represent a starting point for the development of highly potent and selective inhibitors of ALDH1A1 that may be utilized to better understand the role of this enzyme in both normal and disease states.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a high-throughput in vitro assay to identify selective inhibitors for human ALDH1A1

Chemico-Biological Interactions

Hurley

2015

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“…ALDH1A1, ALDH1A2, ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, ALDH2, and ALDH3A1 were produced and purified as previously described [24–26]. Production of ALDH1B1 and ALDH1A3 in Escherichia coli yielded very little protein, limiting their use.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

N,N-diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) as a substrate and mechanism-based inhibitor for human ALDH isoenzymes

Chemico-Biological Interactions

Parajuli

Buchman

et al. 2015

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112

N,N-diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) is a commonly used “selective” inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase isoenzymes in cancer stem cell biology due to its inclusion as a negative control compound in the widely utilized Aldefluor assay. Recent evidence has accumulated that DEAB is not a selective inhibitory agent when assayed in vitro versus ALDH1, ALDH2 and ALDH3 family members. We sought to determine the selectivity of DEAB toward ALDH1A1, ALDH1A2, ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, ALDH1L1, ALDH2, ALDH3A1, ALDH4A1 and ALDH5A1 isoenzymes and determine the mechanism by which DEAB exerts its inhibitory action. We found that DEAB is an excellent substrate for ALDH3A1, exhibiting a Vmax/KM that exceeds that of its commonly used substrate, benzaldehyde. DEAB is also a substrate for ALDH1A1, albeit an exceptionally slow one (turnover rate ~0.03 min−1). In contrast, little if any turnover of DEAB was observed when incubated with ALDH1A2, ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, ALDH2 or ALDH5A1. DEAB was neither a substrate nor an inhibitor for ALDH1L1 or ALDH4A1. Analysis by enzyme kinetics and QTOF mass spectrometry demonstrates that DEAB is an irreversible inhibitor of ALDH1A2 and ALDH2 with apparent bimolecular rate constants of 2900 and 86,000 M−1 s−1, respectively. The mechanism of inactivation is consistent with the formation of quinoid-like resonance state following hydride transfer that is stabilized by local structural features that exist in several of the ALDH isoenzymes.

“…ALDH1A1, ALDH1A2, ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, ALDH2, and ALDH3A1 were produced and purified as previously described 36,56,57 . The ALDH1A1 protein used for the ALDH1A1-CM026 crystal contained an Asn-to-Ser SNP at residue 121 40,58 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Two Distinct Structural Classes of Selective Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1A1 Inhibitors

Hurley

2015

J. Med. Chem.

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Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH) catalyze the irreversible oxidation of aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acid. Alterations in ALDH1A1 activity are associated with such diverse diseases as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, obesity, and cataracts. Inhibitors of ALDH1A1 could aid in illuminating the role of this enzyme in disease processes. However, there are no commercially available selective inhibitors for ALDH1A1. Here we characterize two distinct chemical classes of inhibitors that are selective for human ALDH1A1 compared to eight other ALDH isoenzymes. The prototypical members of each structural class, CM026 and CM037, exhibit sub-micromolar inhibition constants, but have different mechanisms of inhibition. The crystal structures of these compounds bound to ALDH1A1 demonstrate that they bind within the aldehyde binding pocket of ALDH1A1 and exploit the presence of a unique Glycine residue to achieve their selectivity. These two novel and selective ALDH1A1 inhibitors may serve as chemical tools to better understand the contributions of ALDH1A1 to normal biology and to disease states.